The present invention relates to displaying map information on a computing device.
Various kinds of systems and applications are available that provide individuals with useful information while traveling. For example, navigation systems installed in vehicles provide useful information to vehicle drivers and passengers, including information for finding desired destinations, as well as guidance information for following routes to desired destinations. Similar features are available on portable (e.g., handheld) devices. These types of portable devices can be used in vehicles, but can also be carried by pedestrians or by persons using other modes of transportation, such as trains, ferries, and so on. These types of portable devices include personal navigation systems (PNSs), which are portable devices designed specifically to provide navigation and/or map-related features, such as destination searches, routing and/or map display. These types of portable devices also include general purpose devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), on which are installed navigation and/or map-related applications.
A continuing consideration associated with providing navigation and/or map information is the efficient utilization of available computing resources. This consideration is especially applicable to portable devices, but also applies to other devices, such as in-vehicle systems. Portable devices, such as personal navigation devices and personal digital assistants, may have relatively limited computing resources, such as processors or memory, compared to desktop or notebook computers. Therefore, efficient utilization of available computing resources can be a factor when providing navigation and/or map related features on a portable device. Another consideration associated with providing navigation and/or map information on portable devices is that efficient use of available computing resources may conserve energy usage, which may improve or extend the operating time before recharging of the portable device is needed.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide navigation and/or map-related features on portable navigation systems in a manner that uses available computing resources efficiently.
Further, there is a need to provide navigation- and/or map-related features efficiently on various kinds of systems, including portable systems and in-vehicle systems.